Disagree tbh.
Casillas has been dropped by Madrid but there's not exactly and obvious person to replace him, Kompany is a better CB than Pique let alone Ramos. Llahm ahead of Marcelo, Pirlo over Alonso and RVP ahead of Falcao IMHO.

Are you suggesting Pique is better defender than Ramos? Over last 18 months its a no contest, Pique was horrible during most of the time. Ramos was in the best form of his career. Having said that I agree one of Kompany, Chiellini or Thiago Silve should've been there. Alves was **** over last year too, in fact he is not a starter for Barca any more. Lahm can take up right back. Probably Alba on left in stead of Marcelo.

Kompany hasn't been at his best this season but last season he was imperious...I don't know what you've been watching.

I guess these things kind of invite these debates but the criteria seems to shift. I think Messi is better than Ronaldo but you can see his point when he says that last year the criteria was winning trophies, this year it isn't. It's telling that the CL winners/finalists don't have one player between them in that XI.

Casillas is balls. His reflexes and shot stopping earn him alot of brownie points that put him above more qualified contenders in the eyes of journalists/media imo. His decision making is just shocking.

Kompany hasn't been at his best this season but last season he was imperious...I don't know what you've been watching.

Who said he wasn't? Don't think there any Kompany-deniers left tbh. Everyone in England knows he's quality but you don't get international recognition by only performing on a domestic stage.

Was looking at some comments on the team on the BBC website earlier and I think people haven't really adjusted to how much poorer the standard of English football is compared to what it was five years ago.

Who said he wasn't? Don't think there any Kompany-deniers left tbh. Everyone in England knows he's quality but you don't get international recognition by only performing on a domestic stage.

Well, GF is making it out as if he wasn't very good and was being made to look good by sunday leaguers.

Let's be frank, the international stage, bar the latter parts of the WC/EC, are filled with teams that would be beaten by most EPL teams. Being the best defender in the EPL, for the champions, IMO, automatically makes you a contender.

I take your point, but Pique has been basically picked for the converse - only doing well in a handful of games at the Euros, as he was not present for most of the season for Barca. Even then, he plays in a team where for 70% of the game his teammates have the ball. Pique was picked off repute more than anything.

Find it infuriating how people use the quality of the team Guardiola created as a stick to beat him with.

Created it ?

Almost all of the players were their already when he became manager and the signings he made like Chygrynsky and Ibra were ****. Yeah, he helped bring some players in and did a good job there but he hardly created the team. The same core was quite successful under Rijkaard too who created the team more than Guardiola.

Originally Posted by Marcuss

Disagree tbh.
Casillas has been dropped by Madrid but there's not exactly and obvious person to replace him, Kompany is a better CB than Pique let alone Ramos. Llahm ahead of Marcelo, Pirlo over Alonso and RVP ahead of Falcao IMHO.

Hummels for Dortmund and Germany should have been a contender certainly for the CB squad, probably ahead of Pique.

Originally Posted by GIMH

Pirlo over Alonso is the main suggestion I've read. Not seen enough of Pirlo outside the Euros in the last year for an informed opinion; based on that alone he'd be a shoo in though.

While Pirlo had a better year, Alonso gives the team better balance for me. Pirlo and Xavi would be quite similar.

Ryan Nelsen retiring - gutted about this. He's a big loss for QPR - though it looks like he might play out the rest of the season - but he's an enormous loss for NZ. Second-best player NZ have ever produced (you have to give Wynton Rufer top spot), but in terms of influence on the game there's no one bigger. Absolute colossus at the last World Cup, and it's hard to see us qualifying for the next one without him. Winston Reid's playing brilliantly at West Ham, but Nelsen's influence on the NZ team is enormous.

And, in an era of footballing ****s like Luis Suarez, he comes across as an absolutely top guy. Best leader in NZ sport imo.

Who said he wasn't? Don't think there any Kompany-deniers left tbh. Everyone in England knows he's quality but you don't get international recognition by only performing on a domestic stage.

Was looking at some comments on the team on the BBC website earlier and I think people haven't really adjusted to how much poorer the standard of English football is compared to what it was five years ago.

Really ?

I mean yeah the top teams have declined, but think people stretch that too far. The bottom teams in the PL have more pulling power and better squads than anywhere in the world still.

Teams in La liga are even struggling to stay afloat for the large part and a league is made up of 20 teams, not 4. QPR, the bottom team just beat the European Champions from last season not in a hit and run last week.

While the mid to bottom teams have the ability talents like Cabaye, Diame, Granero, Michu, Ramirez, Benteke, Ben Arfa, Johnson, Santon, Berbatov etc.. to England from abroad or for big money/wages it's not quite the same in Spain.

However, Spanish National team and their top teams have the best players at the moment, so there's no surprise they get more attention in these awards.but at the same time, just because the top teams have dropped off in England doesn't mean for Kompany the league as a whole has become a lot easier to play in. Need to differentiate that.